Uncanny X-Men Annual Vol 1 1971
(story) | NextIssue = (series) (story) | ReleaseDate = | Publisher = Marvel Comics | Indicia Publisher = | Brand/Imprint = | Country = USA | OriginalPrice = | Pages = | Editor-in-Chief = Stan Lee | CoverArtist1 = Gil Kane | CoverArtist2 = Gaspar Saladino | CoverArtist3 = John Romita Sr. | StoryTitle1 = "Divided... We Fall!" | ReprintOf1 = X-Men #22 | Writer1_1 = Roy Thomas | Penciler1_1 = Jay Gavin | Inker1_1 = Dick Ayers | Letterer1_1 = Artie Simek | Editor1_1 = Stan Lee | CustomRole1_1 = Colosso | CustomMembers1_1 = Irving Forbush, Robotics Inc. | Quotation = | Speaker = | Synopsis1 = The X-Men participate in another training session in the Danger Room against the Professor's newest creation yet: the gigantic robot named Colosso. The X-Men attempt to attack it one-by-one to no effect, and it's not until they attack it as a team that they learn its weakness: its sensory eye. With the help of Jean's telekinetic powers and Iceman's freezing abilities they defeat the robot. Because the test is a success, the Professor allows his students to go on another vacation -- their last one having been interrupted when they were forced to deal with Mimic. Warren asks Jean out to dinner before she goes visit her sister, and they invite Scott to tag along. He sheepishly accepts the offer, even though he knows Warren doesn't want him present and believing that Warren has won Jean's affections. With his students gone, the Professor allows himself a moment of weakness to break down and lament the lost use of his legs and to express envy at his students' mobility. Things for the X-Men are going to take an unexpected twist with the return of Count Neferia to the United States. With his Maggia connections, Nefaria is busy plotting another attack against the United States. Reading a newspaper editorial about the X-Men that questions if they are good or evil, Nefaria comes to the conclusion that the Mutants must be evil and decides to try and recruit them as his allies. Meanwhile, Bobby and Hank meet up with Vera and Zelda to go on a movie date, while Jean, Warren and Scott have dinner together. The dinner ends with Scott declining Warren's offer to drop him off somewhere, and the trio part company, Jean with Warren. In the car ride, Jean worries if Scott will ever express any feelings toward her. Scott is brooding on the same subject when he suddenly sees what he thinks is Marvel Girl leaping into Central Park and decides to go and investigate. Jean, after being dropped off by Warren, hears a radio report about the same thing and decides to go and investigate as well. Changing into her Marvel Girl costume and traveling to the Park, Jean is attacked by Plantman, now an agent of Count Neferia. He binds her in trees and vines and then knocks her out with a chloroform gas. As Cyclops (now in uniform) continues to search for who he thinks is Jean, he spots Angel flying in the sky. However, this is a fake as well: Warren (still driving in his sports car) hears a similar news bulletin and goes into action as the Angel to investigate the park as well. He is soon captured by the Scarecrow, another minion of Nefaria. Still out on their dates, Bobby and Hank also hear a similar report and Hank makes an excuse to leave early to look into things as the Beast. Also arriving in Central Park, the Beast is easily defeated by Porcupine, also in Nefaria's employ. Returning to their hotel room Bobby finds that Hank had not come back, so he decides to go out and investigate. Along the way he finds an illusion of himself going toward the Park and follows after it. He is attacked by the Eel, who has the advantage against Iceman: however with the timely arrival of Cyclops, the villain is knocked out by Cyke's optic blast. They are then confronted by the Unicorn who keeps them on the defensive until Iceman manages to seal the crook's head (and unicorn horn laser) in a block of ice. However this is a temporary victory as Bobby is knocked out by an electrical jolt from the reviving Eel. Cyclops attempts to knock out the Eel again, but the Unicorn breaks free of the ice around his head and uses his powers to knock out Cyclops as well. The villains take their captives to Neferia's cruise ship where they are locked up in the lower hold. Naferia commends his minions for their work but is angry that they had to resort to force when he had ordered them not to harm the X-Men. Meeting with the captive X-Men, he invites them to join him in his latest plot: to steal an entire US city -- Washington D.C. The X-Men refuse to betray their country by involving themselves in such a scheme. Despite the X-Men's refusal to join him, Nefaria goes to the controls and prepares to carry out his plot without their aid. | Appearing1 = Featured Characters: * :* :* :* :* :* * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * * * * * * * Maggia goons * Other Characters: * Waldo (rock singer) * Various unnamed New Yorkers Locations: * :* ::* :::* :* ::* ::* ::* Grand Central Station * :* Nefaria's stronghold Items: * Vehicles: * Warren Worthington's Mustang * Unnamed freighter | ReprintOf2 = X-Men #23 | StoryTitle2 = To Save a City | Synopsis2 = The X-Men have been captured by Count Nefaria, who had hoped to take in the young Mutants as his allies, only to learn that they are truly heroes and refuse his offer. Nefaria tells the X-Men he will give them an hour to change their minds. Despite this setback, Nefaria would still launch his current plan: to steal the entire city of Washington D.C. Neferia would accomplish this with a special device that would trap the capital city under a clear and indestructible dome. The dome's appearance would spread panic all over the city, government officials would call in the military from the Pentagon, however no matter how hard they try and what they use, nothing can pierce the dome. Nefaria would then send out his impersonation X-Men to the Capital Building to present his ransom demand: one million dollars, to be paid immediately. When the government would refuse and guards attempt to capture the faux-X-Men, they are shocked when they suddenly vanish -- but still believe that they were the genuine article for they don't know the exact extent of their Mutant powers. Inside Nefaria's base however, the real X-Men manage attempt to break free when Jean begins using her mental powers on their shackles. As this is happening, the Professor gets a call from General Fredericks about what is happening and agrees to travel to Washington at once. When attempting to contact his students, he finds that they are out of his range. Back at Nefaria's base, Jean manages to remove the shield that has been put over Cyclops' visor, and Cyke uses his optic blasts to save the others. The Professor manages to get through to the X-Men and gives them instructions. Nefaria meanwhile has been contacted by the government which agree to his terms, much to his delight. Impressing him further is the arrival of the X-Men who agree to join forces with him. Warning the group against a double-cross, Nefaria tells them of a fail safe on the device: only he can operate the machine that controls the dome. If anyone else were to attempt it, it would cause the dome to explode, destroying Washington D.C. As Nefaria sends the X-Men go to collect his ransom, his previous minions (Porcupine, Plantman, Unicorn, Eel and the Scarecrow) all agree to turn against Nefaria by seizing the million dollars for themselves. The Professor, meanwhile, has arrived at the military attache outside the dome where General Fredericks tells the Professor of the X-Men's "involvement" in the ransom, and the Professor asks for some time to think things over. In reality, he sends his astral form into the dome to spy on Nefaria and learn his secrets. The X-Men meanwhile travel outside the dome and are provided with an opening so that they can collect the ransom from the military. They head toward the meeting spot unaware that Nefaria's traitorous minions are watching and waiting to strike. The X-Men collect the money, but are sent fleeing when a trigger-happy soldier attempts to shoot at them. They also attract the attention of an angry mob who chases after them, throwing bricks. The crowd is scared off by Porcupine and the other crooks who then confront the X-Men and demand that they hand over the money. As the X-Men and the super-criminals fight over the loot, the X-Men defeat them all except for the Eel and Unicorn, who rush toward the case filled with money. The Unicorn then betrays his comrade by blasting him and running off with the money. Unicorn doesn't make it very far when he's surrounded by both the X-Men and the military, although he manages to keep them at bay with the power of his unicorn blaster. The X-Men keep the military at bay while they take back the money from Unicorn. Cyclops hands it over to Marvel Girl and sends her back to the truck that is waiting for them. Spotting the girl with the money, the regrouped villains try to give chase. They are held back by a group of soldiers. Despite the fact that Plantman manages to wrap them up in vines they are too late to stop the van from driving off with only Marvel Girl inside. The other X-Men seeing that they are being left behind are ordered by Cyclops to follow after it. When Jean returns to Nefaria's hide out, she hands over the money to Nefaria who hopes to use the money to fund future Maggia operations in Europe. However, they are interrupted when a strange masked man enters the room and surprisingly is able to operate the machine in just the right way to deactivate the dome without setting off the trap. When the other X-Men arrive, they are distracted long enough for Nefaria to sneak away, seemingly with the money. The mystery man is revealed to be the Professor, who explains he learned how to operate the dome thanks to reading Nefaria's mind. With a special device that allows him to use his psi-powers to walk, the Professor had sneaked into the dome when an opening was made for Jean and the other X-Men to return to Nefaria. The Professor then tells them that he tricked Nefaria into fleeing with a mental image of the briefcase full of money. At that moment aboard his ship, Nefaria thinks he's gotten away scott-free. He then is confronted by the Unicorn who wishes still to take the money. To both men's surprise the briefcase suddenly disappears, an illusion all along. They are then picked up by the coast guard whom the Professor had summoned. Returning to the mansion, the X-Men celebrate a brief victory, which is interrupted when Jean is given a letter that she had gotten in the mail. Reading it, she becomes tearful and tells the X-Men that she must leave the team. | Writer2_1 = Roy Thomas | Penciler2_1 = Werner Roth | Inker2_1 = Dick Ayers | Letterer2_1 = Artie Simek | Editor2_1 = Stan Lee | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * :* :* :* :* :* * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * * * * * * * Maggia goons Other Characters: * Unnamed captain * Eddie & Charlie (guards) * Bill & Charlie (soldiers) * Unnamed soldiers * Unnamed politicians * Unnamed Washington DC residents Locations: * :* ::* :* Nefaria's stronghold * :* :* Unknown "swank" motel Items: * * Professor X's Mechanical Legs, first appearance Vehicles: * Army tanks * Count Nefaria's freighter | Notes = * comics.org credits Marie Severin with the cover. I don't know where this indexer got the Gil Kane credit from. It doesn't look like Gil's work to me. | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = }}